Former Giants safety C.C. Brown says Eli Manning is inconsistent

Bruce Kluckhohn/US PresswireLions safety C.C. Brown, who had one forgettable season with the Giants last year, has had several poor plays in five games with Detroit, including this missed tackle of the Vikings' Adrian Peterson. But his continued struggles didn't stop Brown from taking a shot at Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Your Friday game preview took a turn when I woke up on Friday and read a story from the Detroit Free Press quoting former Giants safety C.C. Brown, last heard in these parts blaming the media for his being run out of town. It's all laid out below.

SUNDAY'S GAME: vs. Lions, 1 p.m., FOX

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: I was going to go elsewhere on offense until I read comments Friday morning from Lions S C.C. Brown. Yes, that C.C. Brown, who was asked about Giants QB Eli Manning during his Thursday session with Detroit-area reporters.

"You never know what you're going to get with that guy," Brown said, according to the Detroit Free Press. "You never know if he's going to come in and make bad decisions; you don't know if he's just going to have one of them Peyton Manning games where he lights you up."

Now, first things first: did Brown say anything right there any of us haven’t said before? Absolutely not.

But – and here’s the real key – should Brown be yapping at all after the season he had as a Giant last year? Absolutely not.

Last season, Brown was much more consistent than Manning. And by that, I mean he was consistently bad. So bad my man Ed Valentine over at Big Blue View dubbed him "Bad Bad C.C. Brown" (which barely edged out another solid nickname, "Can't Cover Brown," in my mind).

The mistakes have apparently continued for Brown in Detroit. After a loss to the Vikings earlier this month, the Free Press wrote Brown, who is playing with a fractured forearm was “burned on the (Matt) Forte and (Adrian) Peterson plays, blew coverage on (Percy) Harvin's 24-yard touchdown catch in last week's loss to the Vikings, and had an easy interception bounce off his casted arm against the Eagles.”

“There’s a reason that they call the position a safety, and it’s because he should keep you from giving up big plays,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, per the Free Press. “Our safeties have to get those guys on the field. … Sometimes it might not look pretty, you might get trucked, it might not be a classic-form tackle, but (you’ve) got to get them on the ground, and we haven’t done a good enough job there.'"

I’ve seen lesser comments than Brown’s Thursday remarks pass for bulletin-board material in this day and age. Believe me, Manning and the Giants will take note of Brown’s comments. And while we might never know what to expect from Manning (though I happen to feel he’s become more consistent in recent years), we do know he’s very good at looking off defenders and pump-faking them at times. Plus, we all know how Brown can bite on the wrong look, so let’s see if the Giants and Manning set him up to fail.

On defense, I need to point out an amazing stat right now. It’s an unofficial number because it’s a somewhat subjective stat, but I keep it nonetheless and I was extremely impressed by it earlier this week.

According to my numbers, opposing teams have thrown at CB Corey Webster 19 times so far this season. Of those passes, they’ve completed only five. That’s a completion rate of just 26 percent. Per my numbers, the only other player to hold opponents under 50 percent right now is LB Jonathan Goff, who has had only three passes (one completed) thrown his way. Webster’s fellow starting CB Terrell Thomas, who is having a pretty good season, has allowed completions on 18 of 34 passes thrown his way. (Again, unofficially, because it’s sometimes tough to figure out exactly who to blame for a completed pass.)

Now, you would think the Giants might look at Webster’s stats and say, “Let’s put him on the other team’s best receiver.” But so far this season, they’ve played their corners right (Thomas) and left (Webster), so I wouldn’t expect them to send Webster exclusively in Lions WR Calvin Johnson’s direction. But when he’s lined up to the defensive left side, the Giants have the edge in that matchup.

That’s not even factoring in yet they’ll be facing a hobbled receiver named Johnson for the second time in as many weeks. Last Sunday, it was the Texans’ Andre Johnson who was slowed by an injury. He didn’t look like himself and the timing was off between Johnson and QB Matt Schaub. The Giants devoted an extra player to the box to stop Houston’s running game, perhaps in part because they knew Johnson wasn’t in top form. They don’t have to take such an approach against the Lions’ 27th-ranked rushing game, so it would seem they could focus even more on Calvin Johnson and fellow WR Nate Burleson. With Webster in top form, Thomas playing well and Johnson slowed by knee and shoulder injuries, this is a matchup the Giants should win easily.

THE LINE: Giants by 10. Over-under 44½. (I don't make predictions but I'd have a hard time going anywhere except with the Giants in this one.)